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Filtering questions, conditional questions and paths
Filtering questions, conditional questions and paths
Piotr Sadowski avatar
Written by Piotr Sadowski
Updated over a week ago

Filtering questions, also known as branches or conditional questions, allow you to construct a survey in such a way that the respondent only answers questions appropriate to his situation.

Example of use:

We ask the respondent if he uses the internet on a mobile phone. If he answers yes, we show him deepening questions, for example, about how he uses the internet. If he answers no, we will show him, for example, questions about the reasons for not using the mobile Internet or we will just finish the survey – when the respondent didn’t meet our qualification criteria.

About other ways to conditionally display survey pages you can read more in this article.

How to use filtering questions?

  1. First, plan on a piece of paper how your survey will look, including the division of the survey into sections (pages).

  2. Add as many blank pages to the survey, as you previously planned by clicking „Add page”

3. First, enter all questions with the questionnaire replies.

4. If you have previously added questions, don’t worry – nothing is lost. Add blank pages first and then place the questions between the pages using „sort question"

5. Remember that questions relevant only to some of the respondents should be placed on separate pages. It is also important to remember that filtering question should be added as last on the particular page. The Startquestion platform allows for the redirection of respondents between the pages of the survey depending on the answers given to the question. However, remember that conditionally display a question on the same page as the filter question is not possible.

6. In the filtering questions in the question edition, select what should happen to the respondent after selecting the given answer. To be able to use the transition after selecting the answer, first select the option under ” Custom answer” „Redirect from selected answer”.

7. If from the page relevant only to some of the respondents, you want to restore the respondent to the page available for all respondents or you want to finish the test, set the appropriate transition in the „Go to \ …” edition on the „Questions” page.

Worth to remember:

  • In case of complicated logic of your research it’s worth to sketch a questionnaire on a piece of paper ,divide the questions into pages and draw transitions, before the questionnaire is entered to the Startquestion platform. The respondent completes your questionnaire by going one after the other from page 1 to the last, unless on the way he encounters a filtering question that can change this path.

  • You can’t set the transition to a page earlier than the one on which the filtering question is located.

  • You can use redirections only in selection questions (single choice or multiple choice questions).

  • Don’t use filters in more than one question on the page! Redirection will not work correctly if in question 1 on one page the answer a) will be directed to page 3, and in question 2 on the same page answer b) will be directed to page 4.

  • Before publishing the questionnaire, complete in several times to check and be sure that all filters and transitions have been correctly configured.

  • In the case of multiple choice questions and the application of multiple transitions from different answers, the redirection will take place from the answer that was marked last (it is lowest in the cafeteria).

  • Recently, there is also the possibility of redirecting the respondent to another questionnaire. Then filling in the first questionnaire is completed and the new survey is started.

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